Perognathus fasciatus

Geographic Range

Perognathus fasciatus is found in north central United States and south central Canada.

• Biogeographic Regions
• nearctic nearctic
  • native native

Habitat

Olive-backed pocket mice reside in arid and semi-arid upland habitats. They are often found in thinly covered grasslands, and prairies that contain loose soil. They prefer forest edges, a habitat which provides the proper amount of cover, and are associated with blue gramma and wheat grass.

• Habitat Regions
• temperate temperate

• Terrestrial Biomes
• savanna or grassland savanna or grassland
• forest forest
• scrub forest scrub forest

Physical Description

Perognathus fasciatus is a small to medium-sized pocket mouse with long hind feet (measuring 16 to 19 mm). Individuals weigh between 8 and 14 g, and measure 125 to 143 mm from head to tail.

The species takes its common name from the olive-gray fur on the dorsal part of the body. Thefur of the ventrum is light cream to white in color. Pelage coloration may vary slightly depending on the season and the age of an individual. Juveniles and adults that have freshly molted will be darker. This is because the hairs are tipped with black when they are new, but this tip often breaks off as the hair ages, givign an animals a more "buffy" look. Adults molt once a year, with males molting sooner than the females.

• Other Physical Features
• endothermic endothermic
• homoiothermic
• bilateral symmetry bilateral symmetry

• Sexual Dimorphism
• sexes alike

Reproduction

Olive-backed pocket mice are polygynous.

• Mating System
• polygynous polygynous

Breeding begins as the weather becomes warmer in late April or early May, and continues through late July or early August. Females are capable of producing two litters per year, consisting of three to six young. The gestation period is roughly one month long, and newborns are altricial.

Information is not available on the duration of lactation for this species, nor the age of independence. However, these mice are very similar to other members of their genus, and so probably do not vary significantly from other members of their genus in regard to these characteristics.

• Key Reproductive Features
• iteroparous iteroparous
• seasonal breeding seasonal breeding
• gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
• sexual sexual
• fertilization fertilization
• viviparous viviparous

Information on parental care in this species is lacking in the literature. Because P. fasciatus is a mammal, we know that the female cares for the young, providing them with milk. The young are altricial, and like most rodents, must grow within the safety of the nest until they are able to move around their habitat. While in the nest, the mother undoubtedly grooms and protects the young. Male parental care patterns are not known for this species.

• Parental Investment
• no parental involvement
• altricial altricial
• pre-fertilization
  • protecting
    • female
• pre-hatching/birth
  • provisioning
    • female
  • protecting
    • female
• pre-weaning/fledging
  • provisioning
    • female
  • protecting
    • female
• pre-independence
  • protecting
    • female

Lifespan/Longevity

There is only a small proportion of this species which lives longer than 12 to 14 months.

Behavior

Locomotion of P. fasciatus is quadrapedial. These animals mostly relying on using hind limbs in a hopping fashion and touching down front limbs for balance. In the presence of danger, thes mice exhibit ricocheting. This is when all four feet are used in unison to jump away.

Perognathus fasciatus is known to construct tunnel systems with several chambers. A typical tunnel system consists of a main tunnel and summer/winter caches. Constuction of the tunnel seems to be determined by its later use. The summer portion of the burrow averages 30 cm deep whereas the winter portion can be up to 200 cm deep. On average, the area covered by a burrow is 6 m.

Thes mice spend much of the day in the burrow and become active above ground only at night. They do not appear to hibernate but do become less active beginning in mid-fall.

• Key Behaviors
• terricolous
• fossorial fossorial
• saltatorial saltatorial
• nocturnal nocturnal
• motile motile
• sedentary sedentary
• daily torpor
• solitary solitary

Home Range

The size of the P. fasciatus home range has not been reported.

Communication and Perception

Information is not available on the communication patterns in this species. However, other members of the genus are known to communicate with vocalizations. Tactile communication is undoubtedly important, especially between mates, mothers and their young, and competitors. Scent cues are not uncommon in rodents, and are probably present in this species.

• Communication Channels
• tactile tactile
• acoustic acoustic
• chemical chemical

• Perception Channels
• visual visual
• tactile tactile
• acoustic acoustic
• chemical chemical

Food Habits

Pocket mice are mainly herbivorous and granivorous, feeding on grasses, forbs, and seeds. However, they do occasionally eat insects. Food is carried in cheek pouches until it can be transferred into the burrow. Food caching is common.

• Primary Diet
• herbivore herbivore
  • folivore folivore
  • granivore granivore

• Animal Foods
• insects

• Plant Foods
• leaves
• seeds, grains, and nuts

• Foraging Behavior
• stores or caches food stores or caches food

Predation

Owl pellets found containing P. fasciatus suggest that owls are major predators of this species. Carnivores (such as coyotes) and reptiles (such as rattlesnakes) are also known to feed on them.

Ecosystem Roles

Perognathus fasciatus is a host species for fleas, ticks, and mites. These animals also play a role as a prey species for owls, some carnivores, and some snakes. Through their caching behavior, they act as seed dispersers.

• Ecosystem Impact
• disperses seeds

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

These animals are not known to be of economic importance to humans, although humans probably benefit from them because of their status as a prey species. Many animals that humans find interesting, such as owls and coyotes, prey upon these mice.

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

In general, rodents (collectively) can cause a lot of damage to crops and are also known for carrying diseases, and for harboring parasites which carry diseases. No specific accusations have been made against P. fasciatus , but is probably guilty of some of these infractions against humans.

• Negative Impacts
• injures humans
  • carries human disease
• crop pest

Conservation Status

Olive-backed pocket mice are not listed by CITES or IUCN.

Other Comments

None

Additional Links

Encyclopedia of Life

Contributors

Nancy Shefferly (editor), Animal Diversity Web.

Heidi Bossingham (author), University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Chris Yahnke (editor), University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

References

Bernhardt, T. 2002. "Olive-backed Pocket Mouse" (On-line ). Canadian Biodiversity Website. Accessed 11/01/02 at http://www.canadianbiodiversity.mcgill.ca/english/species/mammals/mammalpages/Per_fas.htm .

Manning, R., J. Knox. 1988. Perognathus fasciatus. Mammalian species , 303: 1-4.

Pefaur, J., R. Hoffman. 1974. Note on the Biology of teh Olive-backed Pocket Mouse/Perognathus fasciatus/ on teh Northern Great Plains. The Prairie Naturalist , 6/1: 7-15.

Riddle, B. 1999. Olive-backed Pocket Mouse ( Perognathus fasciatus ). Pp. 497 in The Smithsonian Book of North American Mammals . Washington and London: Smithsonian Institution Press.

Turner, R., J. Bowles. 1967. Comments on the Reproduction and Food Habitats of the Olive-backed Pocket MOuse in Western North Dakota. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science , 70/2: 266-267.

Williams, D., H. Genoways. 1979. A systematic Review of the Olive-backed Pocet Mouse/Perognathus fasciatus. Carnegie Museum of Natural History , 48/5: 73-102.

Colorado Division of Wildlife. 2002. "Pocket Mice" (On-line ). Accessed 11/01/02 at http://wildlife.state.co.us/Education/mammalsguide/pocket_mice.asp .